SippitySup

Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli de Getaria

Pronounced CHOC-o-lee, this light bodied, pale straw-colored wine from the Basque region is much easier to drink than pronounce. The wine’s aromas and flavors of Granny Smith apples, wild flowers, baking spices, and lime zest are a great pairing with seafood salads. The wine also has a subtle briny, ocean breeze feel to the nose and finish, which match those same qualities found in squid, and the wine’s minerality plays upon the earthiness of the shiitake mushrooms. Since Txokoli, with it’s crispness and slight effervescence, is the ideal wine to cool the spicy flavors of Basque cuisine, it does the same for the spicy Asian flavors in Greg’s Squid Salad.

Txakoli is also spelled Txacoli and Chacoli, and it refers to the grape varietal. The wines are usually low in alcohol, ranging from about 9%-12% ABV, and should be consumed within 12–18 months of bottling. Once only known by wine geeks, Txacoli is gaining popularity in the United States, and finding it’s way on to more and more wine lists. Yet it is still difficult to find in wine shops, and a bit expensive for a simple white wine. For me, it’s my ideal summer wine: low in alcohol, crisp, refreshing, and a little fizzy. Also, it’s my absolute favorite wine to pair with raw oysters! GRANT

 

 

Pairs With Small Plates Menu: Beef Tenderloin Skewers with Cranberry Port Peppercorn Relish & Gorgonzola

Price $18

Also pairs well with appetizers, crab, fish, oysters, shrimp, sushi.

  • Category White Wine
  • Varietal Txakoli
  • Region Getaria Spain